Namibia Life

Day 8: Spitzkoppe

Another amazing backdrop for our African safari
Such amazing views!

We finally had a day with a late start leaving the hostel at 1pm.  It gave us a chance to sleep in, use wifi, eat lunch, and relax.  We only had a three hour drive before arriving at our campsite.  It was another stunning campsite that made me enjoy being in Africa.

Authentic cave drawings
Depicts them on all fours to blend in and hunt the animals

We had a 1 hour walk with a local to show us the bushman drawings on the cave that were thousands of years old. Red is the prominent color of the drawing which was made from animal blood and leaves.  They had a rhino on the wall which was pointing in the direction that you could find water.  There were many other animals on the cave including a zebra and giraffe that were drawn in white.  The white color was made from ostrich eggshells.  They also pictures depicting them hunting the animals.  The guide informed us that they get down on all fours wearing animal skins to cover their private parts.  They would form a circle around the animal with one person being in charge of killing the animal with a bow and arrow.

The Rhino is pointing in the direction to find water
One of the few drawings done in white, can you see the zebra?

This was the only campsite that we were given the option to sleep outside without a tent.  There was a small cave that I slept in with half the group.  I enjoyed the hole at the top of the cave that gave us a clear view of the stars.  I absolutely detested putting up and down my tent everyday so it was an easy choice for me to sleep outside.  If I could have safely slept outside every night of the trip, I would have. I enjoyed sleeping under the stars but I was the happiest about not having to wake up early to take down and pack away my tent.

Day 9: Arriving at Etosha National Park

Within just a few minutes of our drive, we came across this lion
He didn’t even seem to care that we were so close, he just looked like he wanted to take a nap
Maybe it’s because he just finished eating whatever animal this hoof belonged to

This was a pretty full driving day with us arriving at the entrance of Etosha National Park around 3pm.  We did a short game drive in our truck.  Almost immediately we spotted a Lion sitting under a tree panting.  It seemed content to just sit there and wasn’t bothered in the least that we were staring at him.  Nearby we spotted a hoof, had he just had lunch?  Is that why he was tired?  I was amazed that we were so lucky to spot a lion so quickly. We then spotted Zebra, Springbok, and Oryx. 

The zebras seem to be just as curious about us as we are them
Check out that tongue!
How cute is the baby zebra? And I love the reflection of the water!
Ostriches are such a weird animal
I had never heard of an oryx before coming to Africa…
or a Kudu
I didn’t realize an impala was named after a car
So many different animals to see

When we arrived to camp, it began to rain so we put the rain covers on our tents and hung out in the truck playing Uno and other card games. 

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